Well, a shout out to those of you who helped me hit 100 reviews for "Alright". I really, really appreciate how much support you guys have offered me. Also, a shoutout to 'asouldreams', who's story "Bonding" was partly responsible for the development of this story. Those of you watching "Bonding" will remember a couple chapters in which the group did a dueling exercise - this story is all about a dueling compition, as you are about to find out.
This year for Nano, I have decided to write another MM/HG story, though as is tradition for Nano, each day's update will be at least 2000 words. Prior to adding my little comments here, this opening chapter is running just shy of 2500 words. I really hope you guys like this one.
The Duel-Off was a major Wizarding event that only took place once every hundred years, always beginning on July first. Three regional contestants would be selected to all meet at a predetermined location, to compete in an adults only event which would leave one Wizard or Witch with the title of most powerful duelist of the age, as well as a one-hundred thousand Galleon purse. The last winner, in 1924, had been Albus Dumbledore. He had been forty-three at the time, just a bit younger than Hermione Weasley was now. Anyone over seventeen was allowed to compete, much like the Triwizard Tournament, though this event was more geared toward the middle aged Wizard or Witch.
This year the Duel-Off was to be held in America, in New York City, during the same weekend that a Comicon Convention was being held there - the Ministry representatives from the seven countries participating this year had agreed that Wizarding folk would have an easier time blending into the Muggle city if half the Muggles in it were al dressed up on strange costumed for their own event. The contestants, officials, and guests for the Duel-Off would be staying at the same large hotel that many of the Muggles were. The duels would take place in one of the hotel's large auditoriums, though the space had been magically enlarged, and warded so that whatever Muggle might walk by it would see an exhibit that they found dreadfully dull, and feel inclined to just pass on by without looking further. If someone did walk in, Aurors and Unspeakables would be on standby to take care of the situation.
One thing that was unique about this year's Duel-Off was that three champions were selected to represent half-breeds at the competition. Hermione had been pleased to find out about this. In years before, Wizards like Filius Flitwick would never have been allowed to be involved due to his Goblin blood. The current Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts was one of the three representatives of the half-breed chapter.
Hermione knew alot of the people who were competing this year; she herself had been selected as one of the three English contestants. The other two were Harry Potter, her long time friend and the current Defense Professor at Hogwarts, and her own daughter, Rose Weasley, who had recently graduated from Hogwarts. It had been Harry that had suggested that Rose and Hermione both try out, as sort of a mother-daughter bonding thing. All three had been surprised when they were selected as England's representives.
Harry and Filius were not the only Hogwarts staff competing. Minerva McGonagall, the esteemed Headmistress and Hermione and Harry's former Transfiguration Professor, was representing Scotland. As Hermione scanned the list of finalists, she was surprised to see that all three Scotland competitors were McGonagalls. Aside from Minerva, both a Malcolm and a Robert McGonagall were listed. Hermione was resolved to ask Minerva if and how the three were related. Hermione had never heard Minerva talk about any close relatives, though she knew by reputation that Robert McGonagall was a Healer at St. Mungo's. She'd never thought to ask Minerva about her relation to the Mediwizard before, though in fairness it had been many years since Hermione had seen Minerva socially.
After the war ended, Hermione and Minerva had often met for tea or drinks at a pub. The regularity of this ended about the time Hermione had married Ron Weasley. After that, thier social visits were few and far between. In fact, outside of Owl post regarding her children, Rose and Hugo, Hermione had not been in contact with Minerva for at least ten years. Hermione was surprised to find that this sudden revelation upset her greatly. Once, she had found it intolerable to go very long without visiting with her former Professor. The brains of the Golden Trio thought hard about what might have changed, but each reason she came up with seemed flimsy, at best. It had just happened that way.
Hermione continued to scan the list and was pleased to see her old friend Viktor Krum representing Bulgaria, much as he had during the Tri-Wizard Tournament, so many years ago. A former classmate of hers, Seamus Finnigan, was representing his native home of Ireland, and along with Filius, Teddy Lupin and Tanner Hagrid represented the half-breeds chapter. She had known Teddy was planning to try out. Like his mother, the son of werewolf Remus Lupin did not know how to shut up. Hermione was glad he'd gotten picked. If anyone deserved a chance at fame and glory, it was him. Tanner Hagrid was the son of her own dear from Rubius Hagrid, who had been Gamekeeper and later Care of Magical Creatures Professor during her own time at Hogwarts. Shortly after the war, he'd chosen to retire in order to take proper care of his son, who had been born via a one-night stand with a Witch Hagrid Senior had met at the pub one night. The Witch had wanted nothing to do with Hagrid in the morning, and had only agreed to carry the baby they'd conceived on condition that Hagrid take full responsibility for the child from day one. She had wanted nothing to do with her son, either. Hagrid had never told a soul the witch's name, not even Tanner.
Some of the others on the list were names she recognized by reputation, or had met in passing over the years, but nobody she had any sort of relationship with. A beep on Hermione's watch reminded her that the Portkey to take her to New York was nearing departure, so the woman gripped her suitcase, folded the parchment of names and placed it in her pocket, and took hold of the golden wand which had been sent to each competitor weeks before; a courtesy Portkey to take each person directly to an area of Central Park which had been warded against Muggles for the afternoon. From there, Wizards and Witches going to the Duel-Off had been to make their own way to the hotel, Muggle style. The information Hermione had been given suggested that people would arrive at the park in groups of four, so that no one was wandering the strange city alone.
With a pop, Hermione arrived in New York City. Seconds later, she heard three other pops in sequence, and Hermione turned to see none other than Minerva McGonagall, along with two men. "Minerva!" Hermione called, smiling brightly.
"Hermione, good to see you!" The older Witch smiled in return, before scowling as the younger of the two men elbowed her. "Malcolm!" she snapped. "Watch who you're poking!"
Hermione watched as the man grinned. "Oh, lighten up Min. You're on vacation."
"This is not vacation," Minerva argued. "This is a -"
"Prestigious event which we should all be proud to be invited to," the other, older man finished for her. "Blah, blah, blah. Bloody hell, Minerva, not everyone in the world feels a maddening draw to live up to a dead man's expectations, some of us just want to enjoy ourselves."
Minerva turned her glare to the older man, and was about to begin chewing him out when the first man, Malcolm, interrupted. "Let's not argue in front of the pretty lady," he said, shouldering his bag. "Hermione, is that what my sister called you?"
Hermione, who had been watching the exchange with amusement, nodded. "Hermione Gra...Weasley, pardon me. Minerva seems to make me forget that I am not a student at Hogwarts, unwed and without my own children she teaches," the younger witch replied. In fact, she had made the slip on purpose. It was her subtle way of letting Malcolm McGonagall, Minerva's brother by the sounds of it, know that she was unavailable and would he kindly not flirt.
Hermione saw Minerva smile coyly, and she knew her former Professor had caught on to her scheme. "Don't let Malcolm bother you, my dear," the older Witch said. "My younger brother flirts with anything female on two legs, yet he still has not found a woman to call his own. My elder brother Robert," she continued, turning to face the other man, "is far better a conversationalist should you need one."
Hermione stepped up to the plate and joined the banter. "If I desired good conversation, I think I'm already talking to the most qualified companion."
Robert hooted with laughter. "No wonder Min speaks so highly of you, Mrs. Weasley. If I didn't know any better I'd say you had some McGonagall blood in you!"
"I'm afraid not," Hermione replied. "My parents were Muggle dentists."
"You don't say!" Malcolm exclaimed. "I've never met an actual dentist before!" Hermione suddenly concluded that Malcolm and her father-in-law, Arthur Weasley, would get along well.
Minerva, who had quietly shrunk all of their luggage, offered her arm to Hermione. "Shall we start heading toward's the hotel?" she inquired.
Hermione stared at Minerva's outstretched hand for a few seconds before taking it, surprised to feel her heart beginning to beat faster and harder at Minerva's proximity. Why the blazes was that? Hermione wanted to know. However, she was not going to find out in the next few seconds, so she took the older witch's arm and forced a smile. "Let's," she replied, and the group was off.
Minerva McGonagall had never been one for attachments, particularly not human attachments. It was very cat-like of her, she liked to think. She'd been married, once, and quite briefly. Most people who got wind of the fact that she'd ever married assumed that her husband was killed in one of the wars, leaving her a widow. Truth of the matter was that their marriage had lasted a total of twenty-nine days before she'd gotten fed up with him and filed for divorce. They'd remained friends for years after, till he had diedl; Minerva was just not good at being tied down.
Minerva had no children, nor had she ever desired any. She didn't hate children by any means, she just had not felt that she was the mother type. It was one thing to deal with children day in and day out, if they were old enough to feed and dress themselves. If Minerva was ever in a position with a child under the age of ten, she found herself at a loss for what to do. Minerva often guessed that this had something to do with how she'd been a first year at Hogwarts when her brother Malcolm was born, and Robert had been in his second year by the time she herself had been born. Minerva's mother had often commented on how the day Minerva met Malcolm for the first time, over her Christmas break from Hogwarts during her first year, the look on her face had been something akin to a cat under threat of a bath. It had not been until Minerva was in her late twenties before she and either of her brothers got close. They'd just been so far apart in age that until they were all adults, there was little common ground to build upon.
She, Robert, Malcolm, and Hermione had arrived via a nice languorous walk to the hotel about an hour ago, and were all settling into their rooms. Because of the Comicon Convention in the same hotel, the number of rooms available were short, meaning that people had to share. Each hotel room had two queen sized beds, and each room was housing four people. Minerva had been bunked with Danielle McCoy, from Ireland, along with Hermione and Rose Weasley. The older Witch was loathe to share a bed with a total stranger, and prefered not to share a bed with someone who'd so recently been a student. That in mind, Minerva had suggested the Rose and Danielle share a bed, as they were close in age, leaving Minerva to share with Hermione. It wasn't until later that Minerva regretted instigating that arrangement.
After a nice welcoming dinner, in which Minerva also managed to catch up with a few other former students and a couple of the foreigners she had become acquainted with over the course of her travels, she'd bid her brothers a good night and taken the elevator to the fifth floor to join Hermione, who had got up about a half hour before, claiming she had an Owl to write before going to bed. By the time Minerva got to the room, the lights were off and Hermione was already in bed, her figure being illuminated by night-light in the wall. Neither Rose nor Danielle had come up to the room as of yet, though with them being considerably younger, Minerva didn't expect they would be up for several more hours. Filius had mentioned an open bar being available till eleven.
"Hermione?" Minerva asked quietly.
"Come to bed," the younger woman muttered, though by the amount of slur in her voice, Minerva guessed that Hermione was on the edge of sleep.
Minerva said nothing as she flicked her wand and transfigured her robe into a modest nightgown. She sat on the edge of the bed and unpinned her hair, something she'd always insisted on doing without magic, and watched as Hermione's chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. The younger woman was wearing a loose tank top and presumably a pair of equally comfortable pants, though her lower half was covered by blankets. Hermione lay on her back, slightly hard nipples obvious through the thin material.
Minerva blushed as she realized she was looking at Hermione's breasts with more interest than she should. Then, her heart began to beat a little faster as she recognized the feelings bubbling to the surface of her mind. Feelings that she thought had been squashed more than twenty years ago. Feelings for Hermione.
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